Meet today’s CEO, Chris. Even though referrals convert the best for his business, he couldn’t rely on them exclusively to get the growth he needed.
This was not for lack of effort. Chris had done the groundwork to set his business up for success. His company had great tech, superb service, accolades from his customers, a high NPS. But, there wasn’t enough volume in his referral pipeline to get the lift he expected.
Still, year after year, he moved more resources into sales, refined the process, and aligned his messaging.
Unfortunately, this is one case where the facts are the facts... and unless something changes, things will continue to stay the same.
Nurturing Takes Time, Patience
The process of nurturing is a big part of sales and marketing strategy. Prospects just aren’t ready to sign on the dotted line after an initial email, phone call, zoom meeting, or visit to Chris’s website. Showing interest is good news, of course. But it doesn’t mean prospects will take the next step.
It’s hard to get a commitment from a prospect on the second date.
Accompanying Prospects on Their Buyer Journey
In The Strategy Lab, Chris learned from others more about the “buyer journey” concept--which kept coming up, again and again. With a little work, we uncovered the moment when a good discovery call went limp, and what experience would help a prospect move forward. Together, we identified a three-step process Chris could implement immediately.
“Do you have a similar challenge?”
- He pinpointed a specific prospect and set up a powerful nurture process focused *only* on the opportunity audience.
- Then, Chris built a few lead gen assets that appealed to prospects right in the consideration phase.
- And, he reached them with a good old-fashioned email.
Why did this work so well for Chris?
- He focused his marketing on one audience with a single need.
- He narrowed his channels to those that worked best against this prospect group.
- Now, his leads had the chance to get acclimated to his generous, educational content and his non-salesy approach.
- Now, sales had a warm list of interested prospects who were ready to hear from them.
- Now, his sales teams had a more efficient process for near-term success.
It took leadership and patience, some rejiggering of his sales bonus structure. But, it began to take hold.
Where Is Chris Now?
After a year of thoughtful, strategic consistency, Chris is now ready to expand to another user group on the buyer journey. And, he’ll fund that marketing effort with the revenue he grew in the first round--a significant accomplishment for any CEO.
Do you have a similar challenge as Chris? Just like him, the Strategy Lab can help you frame, focus, and formulate the best plan for this year’s objectives. Check out this training video to get your roadmap started.
